Strategic Transportation Safety Plan Toolkit for Tribal Governments

Introduction

A Strategic Transportation Safety Plan is a document that communicates the story of transportation safety in your communities and how you will address transportation safety needs in these communities. A plan should cover all relevant travel modes (roads, trails, marine, air) and should not be focused on the requirements of funding sources, but on a comprehensive strategy that will address your Tribe's transportation safety goals.

There are many different ways to approach the development of a Strategic Transportation Safety Plan; this toolkit is just one example. Its use is optional and intended as an aid in the planning process. We believe with these tools, you can develop your own plan in many cases, but realize you may want to hire a consultant to help. We'll update this toolkit later in the year, especially as we begin to receive examples of completed plans.

To help you develop a Strategic Transportation Safety Plan, we've developed a toolkit that includes several resources:

Strategic Transportation Safety Plan Template

This template includes 8 elements that should to be identified during the planning process: an Introduction; your Tribe's Vision; Safety Partners; your Process; your Existing Efforts; a Data Summary; Emphasis Areas; and finally, Evaluation and Implementation. By completing these elements, you will describe how to strategically save lives and prevent serious injuries on your transportation networks. Download the attachment(Word, 29 KB) if you'd like to use this template as the basis for your planning document.

Roadway Safety Contacts and Data Sources

This list(Acrobat, 139 KB) will aid you in contacting external partners for their participation and/or access to the data they manage. The participation of partners is critical in the development of a strategic transportation safety plan. Elected officials can be your champion; getting their support early in the process will help ensure that you have the means to have a successful plan, and engage their support in its implementation. It is also important to identify an individual or group that will be compelled to improve transportation safety and take ownership of the plan itself; your champion will ensure plan development and work towards implementation. Equally important is the formation of partnerships across disciplines and organizations. Partners to consider include: leadership, legal departments, law enforcement, fire departments, emergency medical services, search & rescue, planning departments, transportation departments, and schools. Your safety partners should be able to assist in acquiring data, analyzing data, selecting emphasis areas, developing safety strategies, and/or implementing the final plan.

Additional Safety Resources

This page contains a number of useful publications, websites, and a recorded webinar on the development of Tribal Transportation Safety Plans are available to provide information on transportation safety planning processes and strategies. A link to Strategic Highway Safety Plans developed by every State Government is also included.

For information on the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Funds, please contact Russell Garcia at 202-366-9815.

Request for Proposals (RFP) Template

Strategic Transportation Safety Plans are most effective when developed by the agency that will be charged with its implementation. However, this template(Word, 25 KB) includes standard language to use if requesting consultant services. It identifies the essential work elements to be included in the plan so that your final product meets or exceeds federal requirements. In addition, it identifies a scoring system that includes items you may want to look for when evaluating proposals and that should be monitored during the planning process, including costs, timelines and deliverables, through the plan's completion.